ABA Warns EU Against New Minor Shareholding Merger Rules

Law360, New York (September 24, 2013, 5:36 PM EDT) -- The American Bar Association's antitrust and international law units urged the European Commission on Monday not to start requiring merger reviews for certain kinds of minority stake acquisitions, saying the changes would unnecessarily burden both companies and the competition watchdog.

The EC should avoid creating new filing requirements for minority shareholding acquisitions that create so-called structural links between competitors or companies with vertical ties, the ABA's Section of Antitrust Law and Section of International Law said in comments released Monday.